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Resident engineer vs project field engineer

The differences between resident engineers and project field engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a resident engineer and a project field engineer. Additionally, a resident engineer has an average salary of $96,425, which is higher than the $71,292 average annual salary of a project field engineer.

The top three skills for a resident engineer include infrastructure, PE and construction projects. The most important skills for a project field engineer are shop drawings, project management, and OSHA.

Resident engineer vs project field engineer overview

Resident EngineerProject Field Engineer
Yearly salary$96,425$71,292
Hourly rate$46.36$34.27
Growth rate7%7%
Number of jobs31,38878,589
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age4141
Years of experience66

What does a resident engineer do?

A Resident Engineer is responsible for all planning aspects of a project. They maintain project engineering records, monitor and expedite weekly reports for accuracy, and develop and perform quality control procedures.

What does a project field engineer do?

Field engineers are engineering professionals who work on-site in a different setting to direct workers and report to the management about the status of different projects. These engineers are required to resolve malfunctions or other crises such as construction or machinery problems while overseeing repairs and technical improvements. They must conduct research and studies on-site and installing new systems and technology to ensure smooth operations of machinery. Field engineers must also communicate with clients to discuss and determine the needs and explain complex issues of projects.

Resident engineer vs project field engineer salary

Resident engineers and project field engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Resident EngineerProject Field Engineer
Average salary$96,425$71,292
Salary rangeBetween $70,000 And $132,000Between $56,000 And $90,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CARoseville, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaOklahoma
Best paying companyGoogleOHL USA
Best paying industryTelecommunicationEnergy

Differences between resident engineer and project field engineer education

There are a few differences between a resident engineer and a project field engineer in terms of educational background:

Resident EngineerProject Field Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common majorCivil EngineeringCivil Engineering
Most common collegeUniversity of Michigan - Ann ArborColumbia University in the City of New York

Resident engineer vs project field engineer demographics

Here are the differences between resident engineers' and project field engineers' demographics:

Resident EngineerProject Field Engineer
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 90.7% Female, 9.3%Male, 91.1% Female, 8.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 12.0% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 11.2% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage5%5%

Differences between resident engineer and project field engineer duties and responsibilities

Resident engineer example responsibilities.

  • Lead municipal construction projection for maintenance and rehabilitation of internal roads.
  • Implement safe working practices base on OSHA regulations.
  • Monitor demolition activities for compliance with OSHA, NESHAPS.
  • Check AutoCAD drawing sets and take-offs on a daily basis.
  • Perform random quality checks on highway materials and prepare reports base on RFI.
  • Work involve, road paving, utility relocation, curbing and sewrline rebuilding.
  • Show more

Project field engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage work orders utilizing client's MAXIMO and BSL system.
  • Manage document control including change orders, billings, RFI tracking, purchasing documentation and contract administration.
  • Manage and/or participate in a variety of water and wastewater assist company principles as engineering consultants for numerous municipal clients.
  • Obtain and evaluate geotechnical data at project sites.
  • Negotiate change-order work and prepare monthly project CPM updates.
  • Create and maintain change order logs on each project also maintaining RFI logs on all projects.
  • Show more

Resident engineer vs project field engineer skills

Common resident engineer skills
  • Infrastructure, 14%
  • PE, 10%
  • Construction Projects, 8%
  • Contract Administration, 5%
  • Project Management, 5%
  • Construction Inspection, 4%
Common project field engineer skills
  • Shop Drawings, 10%
  • Project Management, 9%
  • OSHA, 7%
  • Construction Management, 7%
  • Field Supervision, 6%
  • Construction Projects, 5%

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